Oxford University Briefly Blocks Google Docs

Increase in phishing attacks prompts Oxford University to take "temporary, extreme action."

To confront an increasing number of phishing attacks against the 50,000 users of its computers and networks, Oxford University blocked access to Google Docs for 2.5 hours this week.

In a blog posted Monday, OxCERT, the University's network security team, explained that the action was prompted by an increase in attacks in recent weeks, as well as what it described as slowness by Google's own security team to take down the nefarious Google Docs Web forms. The forms, which masquerade as official communications, collect email, user name and password from those who fill them out.

"Now, we may be home to some of the brightest minds in the nation," Robin Stevens of OxCERT explained in the post. "Unfortunately, their expertise in their chosen academic field does not necessarily make them an expert in dealing with such mundane matters as emails purporting to be from their IT department. Some users simply see that there's some problem, some action is required, carry it out, and go back to considering important matters such as the mass of the Higgs Boson or the importance of the March Hare to the Aztecs."

OxCERT said almost all the recent attacks used Google Docs URLs, and "in some cases the phishing emails have been sent from an already-compromised University account to large numbers of other Oxford users."

OxCERT said it was investigating several technical measures for dealing with the issue, adding it would be pressuring Google to be more responsive.

Reaction to the blockage of Google Docs ranged from understanding and commendations to irritation. "It seems overkill to block Google Docs as a solution for a phishing problem," Sam S. wrote in the comments on the OxCERT blog. Other comments were similar, ranging from thereby avoiding the use of user credentials.

The block, lifted after just 2.5 hours, may help bring attention to the dangers of phishing schemes, Stevens was quoted as saying.

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They should have suspended services to Google Docs until Google themselves addressed this issue. I think that it is a great service but the risk has gone through the roof in recent weeks. I hope Google gets the message, I know that attending school collaboration of documents is key and being able to access them is key as well. Google should take note and learning instructions should also take heed if results come about form avoiding a services and making a company address the issue maybe more people and business would avoid those services until addressed properly.

Published: 2015-03-03Off-by-one error in the ecryptfs_decode_from_filename function in fs/ecryptfs/crypto.c in the eCryptfs subsystem in the Linux kernel before 3.18.2 allows local users to cause a denial of service (buffer overflow and system crash) or possibly gain privileges via a crafted filename.

Published: 2015-03-03** REJECT ** DO NOT USE THIS CANDIDATE NUMBER. ConsultIDs: none. Reason: This candidate was withdrawn by its CNA. Further investigation showed that it was not a security issue in customer-controlled software. Notes: none.

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